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Marnie sighed. “I can’t believe this, Bec. You told me you were done with hooking.”
“I told you what you wanted to hear.”
“Oh my God. You lied to me?”
“Of course.”
“I’m your sister!”
“That only makes you more gullible.”
Anger coursed through Marnie. She really wanted to hang up, but she needed answers.
“Who is Dan?”
“Dan?” Rebecca asked. “You have a last name?”
“Dan Stephens.”
Her sister was quiet for a moment. Then, “Oh, right! Dan. He’s a fireman.”
“Oh my God.”
“You said that already.”
“It bears repeating!” Marnie snapped. “Are you blackmailing him?”
There was a slight pause. “He called me for a date, and I told him the price. He said it wasn’t a problem as soon as he got paid, and because I had a fireman fantasy, I agreed. Only, he reneged the terms of the arrangement. I don’t do what I do for free. If I didn’t try to collect, and my other clients found out, they’d think they could do the same. So, I told him I would tell his wife unless I was paid the money he agreed to. This is simply business.”
“Well, a friend of your little fireman came around to your home and accused me of being you. He said you were trying to ruin a marriage.”
“Why is it always the woman who’s the home-wrecker? Shouldn’t the man shoulder most of the blame? Sure, I fuck married men, but they come looking for me. I’m sure you won’t like hearing this, but the majority of my clients are married.”
What could she say to that? Yes, men should shoulder more of the blame, but cheating was cheating.
“Bec—”
“Just stop, Marnie,” her sister said coldly. “I am who I am, and I like me just fine. If you can’t accept that, then that’s your problem, not mine. Now, are you going to pet-sit for me?”
Marnie knew when to stop pushing. “How long are you going to be?”
“Not sure. I’m in Vail right now, having a great time, with a man who has paid top dollar for my services. So, shelve your judgmental attitude and help me out.”
Marnie blew out a breath. “Fine.”
“Good. Have a great weekend!”
The call disconnected. Marnie rubbed her temple as a headache threatened to bloom. She may love her sister, but she didn’t like her very much. Still, she knew that she was going to stay and house-sit because that’s what she does. What she always does. Take care and cover for Rebecca. Even if that meant she’d have to deal with the man with the chocolate-brown eyes.
The first order of business was to find the animals her sister had forgotten about, hoping they weren’t dead. Once she opened the basement door, she heard the cat crying loudly. She hurried downstairs. A white-and-black cat looked up at her before meowing once more. It wound its way through her legs, crying its displeasure at being forgotten. Careful not to step on the feline, Marnie entered the room, turning on the light to see a hamster cage … and a dead hamster inside.
“Great,” she muttered. “Now I must have a hamster funeral. Whoever Simon is, he’s not going to like this.”
She grabbed the cage and walked back upstairs, with the cat leading the way. Every other step he looked back at her and meowed, as if making sure she was still following. When she placed the cage down on the kitchen table, she bent to pet the cat before searching the kitchen and pantry for cat food, only to discover there wasn’t any.
“Crap. Bec, you are a terrible pet-sitter.” Spotting a can of tuna, she grabbed it and searched through the drawers until she found a can opener. The pungent smell hit her and she scrunched up her nose. “This is going to have to hold you until I get to the store.”
The cat didn’t seem to care. It settled on its hunches to gobble up the canned fish. While the animal ate, she went about disposing of the hamster. There was no way she was digging a grave in the backyard, so she got paper towels and a plastic bag. She wrapped up the dead creature in paper towels before slipping it into the bag and then put it in the trash.
